"Feser... has the rare and enviable gift of making philosophical argument compulsively readable" Sir Anthony Kenny, Times Literary Supplement

Selected for the First Things list of the 50 Best Blogs of 2010 (November 19, 2010)

Monday, April 19, 2010

First Things on AQUINAS

Ryan Anderson kindly reviews Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide in the May 2010 issue of First Things. From the review: “Do not let the subtitle deter you. While Aquinas is ‘a beginner’s guide,’ it is rigorous and accessible philosophy at its best. Even seasoned Thomists will benefit from Edward Feser’s analytic precision in interpreting and presenting Thomas’ philosophy. Placing Thomas in conversation with modern thinkers, Feser explains how so many worthies have gotten Thomas wrong and thus done battle with a straw man. More than this, Feser shows how, even on a host of contemporary debates, Thomas provides the most intellectually satisfying ways forward… Long have I searched for a book to recommend to colleagues, friends, and students to introduce them to the basics of Aquinas’s philosophy; I search no longer.”

I just finished Aquinas and thought it was excellent. Having recently discovered classical theism, I've found it to be much more coherent and immune from criticism than theistic personalism. Your very clear intro to philosophy of mind was extremely helpful for me as well, seeing as how the field is currently dominated by atheists and materialists, many of which have a knack for covering up the inadequacies of naturalism with obscure writing.

On a slightly related note, can you recommend me a good introductory text on the Philosophy of Science? I'm surprised that there aren't more theists in the philosophy of science or philosophy of mind. In PoS, Bas van Fraasen is the only theist I know of.

About Me

I am a writer and philosopher living in Los Angeles. I teach philosophy at Pasadena City College. My primary academic research interests are in the philosophy of mind, moral and political philosophy, and philosophy of religion. I also write on politics, from a conservative point of view; and on religion, from a traditional Roman Catholic perspective.